An album with the diversity and multitude of talented musicians that Winter Thrice features certainly has its work cut out for it. Not only are Borknagar respected pioneers of the second-wave black metal sound, but additionally we have the staggering track record of every member to consider, with pedigrees stretching from the likes of Dimmu Borgir to Vintersorg. Sweetening the deal even further, former vocalist and Ulver mastermind Kristoffer ‘Garm' Rygg has returned to contribute a spot of vocals, sending expectations for this latest offering sky-high. Fortunately for everyone, Borknagar has delivered, with Winter Thrice providing a thoroughly satisfying slab of music. There's simply no capacity in which this album is a let down. Need to quench your thirst for progressive songwriting alongside suitably blackened riffage? Borknagar have catered to that in spades. Are subtle choirs and grandiosity more your thing? Such techniques are peppered throughout, adorning the swells of exciting cadences and somber passages alike. Even with everything that's going on, the atmosphere remains open and inviting, lacking the suffocating quality that often plagues similar acts.